All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) used for recreational, utility and/or other purposes are sometimes provided with track assemblies having endless tracks which engage the ground for traction. The track assemblies are mounted in place of ground-engaging wheels which would otherwise be used for traction in order to enhance the ATV's floatation and traction on the ground.
A track assembly of an ATV typically comprises a frame, a plurality of wheels, and an endless track disposed around the frame and the wheels to engage the ground. The endless track is driven around the frame and the wheels to generate traction. The frame supports various components of the track assembly, including some of the wheels.
While various designs of track assemblies have been developed for ATVs, they suffer from some drawbacks. For example, existing ATV track assemblies may not be optimal for high-speed riding on trails or for riding in other situations or environments. Dynamics of an ATV may change significantly because of the track assemblies' additional weight and configuration which are different from that of ground-engaging wheels with which the ATV may have been designed to be equipped. Also, during riding, the track assemblies tend to accumulate undesirable ground matter (i.e., mud, rocks, soil, ice, snow, and/or other debris on the ground) that increase their weight even more. Ride comfort is also not optimal in rough terrain because a track assembly's roller wheels, which roll on its endless track, engage the track only at limited areas, thereby potentially causing local deformation on the track that may create impacts and detrimentally affect ride comfort.
Track assemblies of snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles may suffer from similar and/or other drawbacks.
There thus remains a need to improve the performance of track assemblies for ATVs, snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles.